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1 HOW BATTLES OVER COLLECTION OF SALES TAXES ON ONLINE SALES WILL AFFECT SMALL BUSINESSES ESPECIALLY AFFILIATES OF LARGE SELLERS LIKE AMAZON.COM AMELIA LANDENBERGER * I. INTRODUCTION Since its founding, Amazon.com and many similar online retailers have not collected sales taxes on online sales. 1 This uncollected sales tax could be a source of additional revenue, which might be especially appealing for states facing budget cuts. The recent battles between Amazon.com and individual states over collection of sales taxes have had negative consequences for entrepreneurs, especially Amazon Affiliates, who gain a percentage of sales by referring customers to Amazon.com. One solution to Amazon s problem would be national legislation on the issue. However, this legislation might make online sales more difficult for small businesses that sell goods over the internet, as they would have to find some way of dealing with the intricacies of state and local sales taxes in order to sell on the internet. Sales taxes date back at least as far as the ancient Egyptians, 2 but the specific problems of interstate sales are much more recent. Shoppers for years have crossed state lines to get lower rates. Before the Internet, many catalog-retailers didn't charge tax to out-of-state customers. 3 Sales taxes began to be generally used in the United States during the Great Depression, as states struggled to find alternative sources of revenue to replace dwindling property taxes. 4 After the Depression began, local * Juris Doctor, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, expected Stu Woo, Amazon Battles States over Sales Tax, WALL ST. J. (Aug. 3, 2011), html. 2 Tomb paintings depict tax collectors in Egypt at least as early as 2000 BC, and sales taxes on individual commodities, such as cooking oil, can be traced to that time. William F. Fox, History and Economic Impact, U. OF TENN. CTR. FOR BUS. AND ECON. RES. (Mar. 13, 2002), available at mnmecon338/ foxipt.pdf. 3 Woo, supra note 1. 4 Mississippi enacted the first modern general sales tax in No revenue innovation has been greeted so enthusiastically by state legislatures. Twenty-one more states and the Territory of Hawaii adopted the sales tax by 1940, with 12 of them doing so in 1933 alone. Ronald Snell, State Finance in the Great

2 226 OHIO STATE ENTREPRENEURIAL Vol. 7:1 BUSINESS LAW JOURNAL government property tax collections did not again reach the 1927 level until For states, it took until 1952 to reach the 1927 level, although in the interval, states had reduced their reliance upon the tax. 6 Forty-five of the fifty states currently collect state sales taxes. 7 Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon do not have state sales taxes, but Alaska and Oregon collect some local taxes, New Hampshire taxes food in restaurants and rooms in hotels, and Delaware and Montana have transient lodging taxes. 8 Of the states that do collect sales tax, the taxes range from 2.9% in Colorado to 8.25% in California. 9 Given the condition of the economy, states are looking for more money to balance their budgets, as some 42 states and the District of Columbia have closed or are working to close $103 billion in shortfalls for the coming fiscal year (FY2012). 10 One source of additional revenue for these states could be sales taxes collected on online purchases. While consumers in most states are required to report such purchases and pay sales tax on them, few do: In Ohio, for example, over 60% of households said they made online purchases last year but sales taxes for such purchases were paid on less than 1% of state income tax returns. 11 Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, knew that sales tax would be an important issue, and decided to locate his business in a state with a small Depression, NAT L CONF. OF ST. LEGISLATURES 5 (Mar. 2009), available at 5 Id. at 3. 6 Id. 7 State Sales Tax Rates and Food and Drug Exemptions, FED. OF TAX ADMIN. (Feb. 2011), available at 8 Sales and Use Tax, ALASKA DEPT. OF REVENUE, programs/programs/index.aspx?10002 (last visited Mar. 27, 2012); Sales Tax Information, OR. DEPT. OF REVENUE, (last visited Mar. 27, 2012); Food and Beverage Tax, CITY OF ASHLAND, (last visited Mar. 27, 2012) (discussing that the city of Ashland, Oregon, has the only voter approved sales tax in Oregon. A five percent tax is collected on all prepared food sold in Ashland. ); Does NH Have an Income Tax or Sales Tax?, N. H. DEPT. OF REV. ADMIN., revenue/faq/gti-rev.htm#meals-rental (last visited Mar. 27, 2012); Lodging Tax Collection, DEL. CODE, c061/sc01/index.shtml (last visited Mar. 27, 2012); Lodging Facility Sales and Use Tax, MONT. DEPT. OF REV., taxes_licenses_fees_permits/ Miscellaneous_Taxes_and_Fees/lodging.mcpx (last visited Mar. 27, 2012). 9 State Sales Tax Rates and Food and Drug Exemptions, FED. OF TAX ADMIN. (Feb. 2011), available at 10 Elizabeth McNichol, Phil Oliff & Nicholas Johnson, States Continue to Feel Recession s Impact, CTR. ON BUDGET & POL Y PRIORITIES (June 11, 2011), available at 11 Brad Tuttle, Amazon Supports a Bill Forcing Online Shoppers to Pay Sales Tax, TIME.COM (Nov. 11, 2011), amazonsupports-a-bill-forcing-online-shoppers-to-pay-sales-tax/#ixzz1dbrjlzjy.

3 2012 How Battles over Collection of Sales Taxes 227 on Online Sales Will Affect Small Businesses Especially Affiliates of Large Sellers Like Amazon.com population because he knew he would be forced to collect sales tax in that state. He explained his decision: It sounds counterintuitive, but physical location is very important for the success of a virtual business. We could have started Amazon.com anywhere. We chose Seattle because it met a rigorous set of criteria. It had to be a place with lots of technical talent. It had to be near a place with large numbers of books. It had to be a nice place to live great people won't work in places they don't want to live. Finally, it had to be in a small state. In the mail-order business, you have to charge sales tax to customers who live in any state where you have a business presence. It made no sense for us to be in California or New York. 12 Bezos even considered trying to locate his business out of the reach of any state s sales tax, on an Indian reservation near San Francisco. 13 A. Quill Corp. v. North Dakota In 1967, National Bellas Hess, Inc. v. Department of Revenue of State of Illinois created a bright line rule that did not allow the state of Illinois to require a mail-order company from Missouri to collect Illinois use tax on purchases shipped to Illinois. 14 The court noted that it would require use tax collection [w]here the sales were arranged by local agents in the taxing State 15 or where a mail order company had retail stores in that state, 16 [b]ut the Court has never held that a State may impose the duty of use tax collection and payment upon a seller whose only connection with customers in the State is by common carrier or the United States mail. 17 In 1992, North Dakota attempt[ed] to require an out-of-state mailorder house that has neither outlets nor sales representatives in the State to collect and pay a use tax on goods purchased for use within the State. 18 In 12 William C. Taylor, Who s Writing the Book on Web Business, FAST CO. (Oct. 31, 1996), 13 Id. Bezos ruefully acknowledged that he could not avoid sales taxes by founding his business on a Native American reservation because [u]nfortunately, the government thought of that first. Id. While on-reservation sales by Indians to Indians are not taxed when the buyers are not Native Americans, the state can still compel sales tax collection by Native Americans. Moe v. Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of Flathead Reservation, 425 U.S. 463, (1976). 14 Nat'l Bellas Hess, Inc. v. Dep't of Revenue of State of Ill., 386 U.S. 753, 754 (1967). 15 Id. at Id. 17 Id. at Quill Corp. v. N. D. By & Through Heitkamp, 504 U.S. 298, 301 (1992).

4 228 OHIO STATE ENTREPRENEURIAL Vol. 7:1 BUSINESS LAW JOURNAL Quill Corp. v. North Dakota By & Through Heitkamp, the Supreme Court held that the requirement for out of state vendors to collect that tax violated the Commerce Clause, distinguishing Commerce Clause tests from those tests used under the Due Process Clause by saying, [a]ccordingly, while a State may, consistent with the Due Process Clause, have the authority to tax a particular taxpayer, imposition of the tax may nonetheless violate the Commerce Clause. 19 The Due Process Clause does not prevent collection of sales taxes in Quill because by selling in North Dakota, Quill had the minimum contacts. 20 But the commerce clause prevents collection of sales taxes in this instance because Quill did not have a substantial nexus. The Court cited Bellas Hess, which stands for the proposition that a vendor whose only contacts with the taxing State are by mail or common carrier lacks the substantial nexus required by the Commerce Clause. 21 While the Supreme Court did not allow North Dakota to collect the sales tax in Quill, it did leave for Congress the option of creating national legislation by which the states can require interstate companies to collect use taxes. 22 Such legislation has actually been proposed in Congress, but it remains to be seen whether it will pass. II. PROBLEM: EFFECT ON SMALL BUSINESSES, ESPECIALLY AFFILIATES Kayla Fay, a mother in North Carolina, made $40,000 a year from her websites, most of that from affiliate programs with Amazon and another 19 Id. at The requirements of due process are met irrespective of a corporation's lack of physical presence in the taxing State. Id. at Id. at When deciding whether or not to reject the Bellas Hess rule, the court explained: This aspect of our decision is made easier by the fact that the underlying issue is not only one that Congress may be better qualified to resolve, but also one that Congress has the ultimate power to resolve. No matter how we evaluate the burdens that use taxes impose on interstate commerce, Congress remains free to disagree with our conclusions. Indeed, in recent years Congress has considered legislation that would overrule the Bellas Hess rule. Its decision not to take action in this direction may, of course, have been dictated by respect for our holding in Bellas Hess that the Due Process Clause prohibits States from imposing such taxes, but today we have put that problem to rest. Accordingly, Congress is now free to decide whether, when, and to what extent the States may burden interstate mail-order concerns with a duty to collect use taxes. Id. at 318.

5 2012 How Battles over Collection of Sales Taxes 229 on Online Sales Will Affect Small Businesses Especially Affiliates of Large Sellers Like Amazon.com online company. 23 When North Carolina passed a law requiring online retailers with affiliates in the state to collect sales taxes, Amazon ended its Amazon Associates Program in North Carolina. 24 Lydia Walshin, who lives in Scituate, [Rhode Island] depended on Amazon affiliate marketing to monetize her cooking blog, ThePerfectPantry.com. After Amazon cut off its affiliates, Walshin moved her operations to Massachusetts, where she also has a home and a bank account, and Amazon had her back up and running within 24 hours. 25 Another entrepreneur, Owen Johnson, was earning small, but growing income from his personal blog and a site he runs called Connect Providence as an affiliate before Amazon ended the program [in Rhode Island]. Now he is wondering whether to move his business out of state. You re creating an environment of uncertainty in which to do business, he said. 26 These three individuals were members of Amazon s Associates Program. Members promote products sold on Amazon, usually through a blog or website. When a customer clicks through to Amazon from one of the Associate s links, and then either purchases something within twentyfour hours or adds something to the shopping cart which is then purchased within eighty-nine days, the Associate earns between four and fifteen percent of the purchase price Mark Binker, Amazon Warns N.C. Affiliates about Tax Issue, NEWS- RECORD.COM (June 17, 2009), 06/17/article/amazon_warns_nc_affiliates_about_tax_issue. 24 Mark Binker, Amazon Cuts Relationship with N.C. Affiliates, NEWS- RECORD.COM (June 26, 2009), article/amazon_cuts_relationships_with_affiliates [hereinafter Amazon Cuts Relationship with N.C. Affiliates]. 25 Ted Nesi, Amazon Tax Has Not Generated Revenue, PROVIDENCE BUS. NEWS (Dec. 21, 2009), 26 Id. 27 Associates Program Operating Agreement, AMAZON.COM, https://affiliateprogram.amazon.com/gp/associates/agreement?ie=utf8&pf_rd_t=501&ref_=amb _link_ _6&pf_rd_m=atvpdkikx0der&pf_rd_p=&pf_rd_s=assocright-1&pf_rd_r=&pf_rd_i=assoc_join_menu (last visited Mar. 27, 2012); Associates Program Advertising Fee Schedule, AMAZON.COM, https://affiliateprogram.amazon.com/gp/associates/help/operating/advertisingfees?ie=utf8&pf_r d_t=501&ref_=amb_link_ _9&pf_rd_m=atvpdkikx0der&pf_rd_p =&pf_rd_s=assoc-center-1&pf_rd_r=&pf_rd_i=assoc_operating (last visited Mar. 27, 2012) [hereinafter Operating Agreement].

6 230 OHIO STATE ENTREPRENEURIAL Vol. 7:1 BUSINESS LAW JOURNAL Amazon is not the only large retailer to have such a program, although it is probably the most famous. Staples has a similar program, 28 and many well known brands such as Target, Kmart, Netflix, Sears, OfficeMax, SamsClub, and Verizon have affiliate programs administered by Google s Affiliate Network. 29 Unlike Amazon, however, most of these retailers have physical retail stores in most states, which is a sufficient nexus to force them to collect sales tax. Target, for example, collects sales tax in all of the states that have a sales tax. 30 Overall, e-commerce sales have grown from $995.0 billion in 1999 to $2,385 billion by Amazon.com is currently the largest online retailer, 32 but collection of sales taxes could have a huge negative impact on Amazon s sales: Credit Suisse recently estimated that if Amazon were forced to collect sales taxes in all states, it would lose as much as $653 million in sales this year, or 1.4% out of an estimated $45.5 billion in revenue. 33 Amazon has another good reason why it does not want to collect sales tax. Retailers can be forced to pay penalties when they collect the wrong amount of sales tax, and it is complicated to collect the correct amount because of the many different local taxes: J.C. Penney, for example, has had to pay penalties on miscalculations of online sales taxes. Wayne Zakrewski, the company's tax lawyer, says because of the complicated calculations, errors are more often the case than not. 34 This is one of the reasons why forced collection of sales taxes by online retailers could be very bad for small businesses. Even large businesses like J.C. Penney struggle to comply with the many different sales tax requirements, making online sales tax collection prohibitively costly for small businesses. Small businesses might be forced to use a larger business as a facilitator, by selling their products through a website such as Amazon Marketplace or ebay. Then small businesses would have to pay a 28 The Staples affiliate program, however, is not as lucrative as Amazon s, as it excludes big ticket items such as [c]opiers, fax machines, printers, laptops, desktops and only gives up to 5%, and that only on office supplies such as tape and rubber bands. Affiliate Program, STAPLES.COM, content/about/affiliate/ (last visited Mar. 27, 2012). 29 Google Affiliate Network, GOOGLE.COM, affiliatenetwork/publishers/#tab0=1 (last visited Mar. 27, 2012). 30 This fact is frequently cited by those seeking to force Amazon to collect sales tax, as Amazon facilitates online sales for Target, and therefore facilitates the collection of sales taxes on Target.com s online sales. All About Sales Tax, TARGET.COM, help/orders_and_shipping/sales_tax/sales_tax.html (last visited Mar. 27, 2012). 31 Donald Bruce, William Fox & LeAnn Luna, State and Local Government Sales Tax Revenue Losses from Electronic Commerce, U. OF TENN. CTR. FOR BUS. AND ECON. RES. (Apr. 13, 2009), available at 32 Woo, supra note Id. 34 Robert Matthews, Some States Push to Collect Sales Tax from Internet Stores, WALL ST. J., Sept. 30, 2005, at B1.

7 2012 How Battles over Collection of Sales Taxes 231 on Online Sales Will Affect Small Businesses Especially Affiliates of Large Sellers Like Amazon.com percentage to the facilitating company to avoid dealing with complicated sales tax calculations. This would still leave small businesses at a disadvantage to larger businesses with better technology and accounting departments. But many states are facing serious budget issues, and many are trying to collect sales taxes from online sales in an attempt to pull in some more tax money to help their budgets. The states would be happy to collect extra sales taxes, especially since they may be missing as much as billion dollars in state and local taxes nationally. 35 As the states battle with Amazon, small businesses suffer. When the states try to collect sales taxes on online purchases, Amazon cuts its affiliates to avoid being forced to collect sales tax. These affiliates were mostly entrepreneurs who are now unemployed. The state loses the revenue from the income taxes on the now-unemployed affiliates, and in some cases is unable to collect any more sales taxes, since by getting rid of its affiliates, Amazon is not required to collect sales taxes on its online sales. 36 Forcing Amazon to collect sales taxes may just hurt small businesses more. Affiliates will lose revenue, and shoppers driven from Amazon by rising prices may only go to other large retailers rather than buying from small businesses. Furthermore, small businesses that sell online would now be forced to deal with the intricacies of the various sales tax laws, which would make it very costly for small businesses to sell online. III. CAUSE: STATE LAWS ATTEMPT TO COLLECT MONEY AND BALANCE BUDGETS Since its founding, Amazon has collected sales taxes in its home state of Washington. It could hardly do otherwise, as its headquarters constitute a clear physical presence in the state. It also collects sales tax in Kansas, Kentucky and North Dakota, where it has a physical presence. 37 It avoids collecting in several other states where it has warehouses by assigning their ownership to a subsidiary. 38 For years, both Amazon and the other states have been happy with this arrangement, but recent economic conditions have caused many states to reevaluate their position, and consider changing their laws to require Amazon to collect sales taxes because of its warehouses or affiliates. 35 Bruce, Fox & Luna, supra note Nesi, supra note Verne Kopytoff, Amazon Pressured on Sales Tax, N.Y. TIMES (Mar. 13, 2011), 38 Id.

8 232 OHIO STATE ENTREPRENEURIAL Vol. 7:1 BUSINESS LAW JOURNAL In addition to pressure to balance budgets, states are also under pressure from Amazon s competitors, who want Amazon to be forced to collect sales tax. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp. and other large retailers are ratcheting up a political campaign to force Amazon.com Inc. to collect sales taxes, sensing opportunity in the budget crises gripping statehouses nationwide. The big-box stores are backing a coalition called the Alliance for Main Street Fairness, which is leading efforts to change sales-tax laws in more than a dozen states including Texas and California. [ ] Many of America's largest store chains including Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy Co., Home Depot Inc. and Sears Holdings Corp. are involved in the campaign, lobbying legislators and increasingly taking public swipes at Amazon. 39 Members of the Alliance for Main Street Fairness ( Alliance ) say they are only looking for fairness, but an Amazon representative said the other companies covet Amazon s affiliate program. 40 These companies are in competition with Amazon, and hope that if Amazon is forced to collect sales tax, consumers will choose to shop in physical stores rather than online. In 2008, New York passed a law requiring any online company with any affiliates in the state to begin collecting sales tax. 41 Amazon responded by filing a lawsuit, alleging that the New York law violated the Commerce Clause, Equal Protection Clause, and Due Process. 42 The court battle is ongoing, but Amazon is collecting sales tax in New York until the case is decided. 43 When other states sought to pass similar laws, Amazon dropped its affiliates in those states in order to avoid being forced to collect sales taxes there. Currently, residents of North Carolina, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Colorado, Arkansas and Illinois are not eligible to become members of the Amazon Associates Program. 44 All of these states passed laws similar to the 39 Miguel Bustillo & Stu Woo, Retailers Push Amazon on Taxes, WALL ST. J. (Mar. 17, 2011), html. 40 Id. 41 Saul Hansell, Amazon Sues over State Law on Collection of Sales Tax, N.Y. TIMES (May 2, 2008), 02amazon.html. 42 Amazon.com, LLC v. N.Y. State Dept. of Taxation & Fin., 81 A.D.3d 183, 191 (2010). 43 Id. at Operating Agreement, supra, note 27.

9 2012 How Battles over Collection of Sales Taxes 233 on Online Sales Will Affect Small Businesses Especially Affiliates of Large Sellers Like Amazon.com one in New York, and in all of these cases, Amazon retaliated by dropping all of its affiliates in each state. 45 California, Texas, Tennessee, and Indiana have all come to agreements with Amazon. In California, Amazon will not have to collect sales taxes until 2012, unless federal legislation creates a national sales tax collection policy first. 46 After a battle with Texas over sales tax collection, Amazon agreed to invest $300 million in five or six warehouse and distribution centers in the state, employing 6,000 people, if lawmakers would let the company operate for four-and-a-half years without collecting sales taxes. 47 In Tennessee, Amazon has agreed to collect sales taxes in 2014, in exchange for building new distribution centers there. 48 In Indiana, Amazon agreed to collect sales taxes after 2014, or within ninety days of the passage of national sales tax legislation, and Indiana s governor spoke in favor of national sales tax legislation, which Amazon supports. 49 More deals with states are likely to follow, as Amazon seems to anticipate national legislation in a few years, but is hoping to continue to avoid collection of sales tax in the meantime. A. New York The recent surge in online sales tax collection laws came from New York. In 2008, New York passed a law requiring any online company with any affiliates in the state to begin collecting sales tax. 50 The law specifically required a seller to collect sales tax if the seller enters into an agreement with a resident of this state under which the resident, for a commission or other consideration, directly or indirectly refers potential customers, 45 See Amazon Cuts Relationship with N.C. Affiliates, supra note 24; Susan Haigh, Conn. Gets Tough with Amazon, Pushing on with Tax, BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK (Oct. 9, 2011), financialnews/d9q8tv3o1.htm; Miles Moffeit & Jessica Fender, Amazon.com Drops Colorado Retailers After Tax Law Enacted, DENV. POST (Mar. 9, 2010), Nesi, supra note 25; Kyung M. Song, Tax-Free Shopping Doomed?, CHI. SUN TIMES (Nov. 13, 2011), /tax-free-shopping-doomed.html. 46 David Streitfeld, California Lawmakers Give Amazon Tax Reprieve, N.Y. TIMES (Sept. 10, 2011), 47 Ross Ramsey, Let s Make a Deal, Amazon Tells Texas, N.Y. TIMES (June 23, 2011), 48 Erik Schelzig, Amazon to Collect Tenn. Sales Tax in 2014, Add 2,000 Jobs, THE SEATTLE TIMES (Oct. 6, 2011), businesstechnology/ _amazontenn07.html. 49 Tom Davies, Amazon's Online Sales Tax: Internet Retailer Reaches Deal With Indiana, HUFFINGTON POST (Jan. 9, 2012), /01/09/amazons-sales-tax-indiana_n_ html 50 Hansell, supra note 41.

10 234 OHIO STATE ENTREPRENEURIAL Vol. 7:1 BUSINESS LAW JOURNAL whether by a link on an internet website or otherwise, to the seller, 51 and if that seller makes more than $10,000 a year on transactions referred to it by New York residents. When other states later passed similar laws, Amazon immediately dropped its affiliates in those states, but in New York, Amazon took another approach. On April 25, 2008, two days after the bill was signed by the Governor, Amazon filed a complaint seeking declaratory and injunctive relief on the ground that the statute was unconstitutional. Amazon asserted claims for violation of the Commerce, Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses 52 The State moved to dismiss and the court granted the motion. 53 Amazon appealed and the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, heard the appeal. It described the case as a case with far-reaching ramifications because of the exponential expansion of cyberspace in general, and commerce over the Internet in particular. 54 The court concluded that on its face the statute does not violate the Commerce Clause. 55 The court modified the previous judgment to declare that the statute is constitutional on its face and does not violate the Equal Protection Clause either on its face or as applied and, to reinstate the complaint for further proceedings with regard to the claims that, as applied, the statute violates the Commerce and Due Process Clauses 56 The case was remanded to the lower court to rule on Amazon s claims that the statute as-applied violates the Commerce and Due Process Clauses. Amazon will be given a chance to prove that its affiliates are only advertising on their behalf, not soliciting business, 57 and therefore the law as applied violates the Commerce clause. Amazon also claims that the New York affiliates are not significantly associated with Amazon s ability to do business within the state, as in 2007, its sales to New York State residents referred by Associates which provided Amazon with New 51 McKinney s New York Tax Law 1101(b)(8)(vi) (2008). 52 Amazon.com, LLC v. N. Y. State Dept. of Taxation & Fin., 81 A.D.3d 183, 191 (2010). 53 Id. at Id. at Id. at 196. It imposes a tax collection obligation on an out-of-state vendor only where the vendor enters into a business-referral agreement with a New York State resident, and only when that resident receives a commission based on a sale in New York. The statute does not target the out-of-state vendor's sales through agents who are not New York residents. Thus, the nexus requirement is satisfied. Id. 56 Id. at Id. at 203.

11 2012 How Battles over Collection of Sales Taxes 235 on Online Sales Will Affect Small Businesses Especially Affiliates of Large Sellers Like Amazon.com York addresses upon registration constituted less than 1.5% of its total sales to New York State residents. 58 It is unclear why Amazon took a different approach to the New York law than it took to later laws in other states. Perhaps it did not want to lose all the affiliates in such a populous state, or perhaps Amazon hoped to win its suit and dare the other states to try a similar law. Whatever the reason, instead of dropping all of its affiliates, 59 Amazon has been collecting sales taxes in New York, which collected $70 million in sales tax from online retailers, including Amazon, for fiscal year In the meantime, Amazon is continuing its legal battle in the New York courts. 61 Perhaps inspired by New York s increased sales tax revenue, other states have been passing similar online sales tax collection laws, but Amazon has reacted very differently in other states. B. North Carolina, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois Currently, residents of North Carolina, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Colorado, Arkansas and Illinois are not eligible to become members of the Amazon Associates Program. 62 All of these states have tried to force Amazon to collect sales taxes. Amazon has retaliated by cutting its affiliates in order to avoid paying the taxes, so in most cases the states do not collect more sales taxes. The real losers are the entrepreneurs who operate as affiliates, who must choose between moving to a new state and finding a new source of income. 58 Amazon.com, LLC, 81 A.D.3d at 204. The court, in a footnote, points out that Amazon s annual sales are so large that even 1.5% of the New York sales may be a significant amount: The affidavit did not supply the sales data upon which the calculation was based. An Internet search, however, found, and we take judicial notice, that on April 22, 2010 Amazon reported that its first quarter sales in Canada and the United States were $3,780,000,000 (which would translate on an annual basis into North American sales of over $15,000,000,000). What percentage of those sales were made in New York cannot be quantified from the data available. Nor can the actual percentage made as a result of New York residents accessing New Yorkbased Associates be calculated. Even 1.5% of New York sales by New York Associates, however, would not appear to be an insignificant number. Id. at New York is not one of the states blacklisted by the Associates Program. Operating Agreement, supra, note Kopytoff, supra note Streitfeld, supra note Operating Agreement, supra note 27.

12 236 OHIO STATE ENTREPRENEURIAL Vol. 7:1 BUSINESS LAW JOURNAL In North Carolina, Amazon cut ties with all its affiliates after a new law forced the company to collect sales taxes. 63 North Carolina s Department of Revenue ( DOR ) then audited Amazon to try to collect sales taxes on items purchased over the past few years. 64 Amazon provided extensive records of its sales, but not of the buyers. 65 The issue arose when North Carolina then asked Amazon to provide the names and addresses of its North Carolina customers. 66 Amazon maintains that if the DOR obtains the information it seeks, it will possess all information necessary to know the expressive content of all purchases from Amazon by individual North Carolina residents. 67 Amazon filed suit on April 9, 2009, claiming that its customers First Amendment rights were being violated. 68 The American Civil Liberties Union represented seven North Carolina residents who filed a complaint in intervention. 69 The court granted the motion for summary judgment for Amazon on the issue that the North Carolina DOR s request was a violation of the First Amendment. 70 In January 2011, the case was settled between the seven residents and the DOR. 71 In December of 2009, six months after Rhode Island had begun requiring online retailers to collect sales tax and Amazon shut down its Associates Program in the state, there was some doubt whether the tax had actually generated any revenue. 72 It was reported that state officials had 63 Amazon Cuts Relationship with N.C. Affiliates, supra note Associated Press, NC Tax Man Drops Bid to See Amazon Buyers' Data, SEATTLE TIMES (Feb. 9, 2011), / _apncamazonsalestaxes1stldwritethru.html?syndication=rss. 65 Amazon.com, LLC v. Lay, 758 F. Supp. 2d 1154, 1159 (W.D. Wash. 2010). As part of an audit of Amazon, the DOR, whose secretary is Defendant Lay, sent a request on December 1, 2009 to Amazon seeking all information for all sales to customers with a North Carolina shipping address by month in an electronic format for all dates between August 1, 2003, and February 28, Notably, the request was made as part of DOR's investigation of Amazon's tax liability, not its customers' tax liability. In response, Amazon provided the DOR with detailed information about millions of purchases made by North Carolina customers during the relevant time period. Amazon provided the order ID number, seller, ship-to city, county, postal code, the non-taxable amount of the purchase, and the tax audit record identification. In addition, Amazon provided the Amazon Specific Identification Number for every purchase, a number which permits access to the specific and detailed description of the product. Id. (internal citations omitted). 66 Id. 67 Id. 68 Id. at Id. 70 Id. at Associated Press, supra note Nesi, supra note 25.

13 2012 How Battles over Collection of Sales Taxes 237 on Online Sales Will Affect Small Businesses Especially Affiliates of Large Sellers Like Amazon.com doubts about the law s effectiveness: Officials at the R.I. Department of Revenue do not believe that there has been any sales tax collected as a result of the Amazon legislation, said Paul L. Dion, who heads the department s revenue-analysis office. 73 Connecticut passed a law requiring online retailers with a physical presence in the state to collect sales taxes, and Amazon closed its Associates Program in response a month later. 74 The state was still not content, and is considering trying to collect taxes from the time between the enacting of the law and the ending of Amazon s affiliate program in the state. 75 The state is also considering suing Amazon based on its other connections to Connecticut. 76 Colorado also passed a law that aimed to force consumers to pay taxes on online purchases: Colorado HB 1193, enacted in February 2010, required online retailers to provide a detailed purchase report to customers with more than $500 of annual Colorado purchases by January 31st and to provide a summary purchase report with the total amount of each customer's annual Colorado purchases to the Colorado Department of Revenue by March 31st. This law is currently the subject of a legal challenge brought by the Direct Marketing Association and others. In the meantime, the U.S. District Court has suspended enactment of the law while the legal challenge proceeds. 77 On March 9, 2010, Amazon cut ties with all of its Colorado Associates because of the new law, which, in Amazon s opinion, clearly intended to increase the compliance burden to a point where online retailers will be induced to voluntarily collect Colorado sales tax a course we won't take." 78 From 2005 to 2010, Illinois lost an estimated $183 million each year in uncollected online sales taxes, according to Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, who proposed national legislation on the issue. 79 Amazon cut its affiliate program in Illinois after a law was passed in March of 2011 that would 73 Id. 74 Haigh, supra note Id. 76 Id. 77 Sales Tax Requirements, AMAZON.COM, customer/display.html/ref=hp_468512_usetax?nodeid=468512#usetax (last visited Mar. 28, 2012). 78 Moffeit, supra note Song, supra note 45.

14 238 OHIO STATE ENTREPRENEURIAL Vol. 7:1 BUSINESS LAW JOURNAL have forced Amazon to collect sales tax. 80 Amazon said it would eliminate its affiliate program there on April Despite the new tax, Illinois has not actually raised much revenue, as termination of affiliates has meant that Amazon still does not collect sales tax in Illinois. In order to continue in the affiliate program, two large affiliates actually moved their businesses out of state: CouponCabin and its employees departed River North for Whiting, Ind. Rockton-based FatWallet moved a few miles north to Beloit, Wis., in April, a spokesman says. Each employs fewer than 100 people. 82 Barnes and Noble, one of Amazon s competitors, wrote an open letter to Amazon s dropped Illinois Associates, inviting them to become associates for Barnes and Noble instead. The letter said, Barnes & Noble is disappointed to hear that Amazon would threaten small businesses livelihood rather than comply with state law. Here at Barnes & Noble, we value the 13,000+ members of our affiliate program worldwide.... If Amazon doesn t want you, we do! 83 The affiliates in these states have had to deal with their loss of livelihood, and the issue seems unlikely to be resolved by individual negotiations with these states. States which have passed legislation and in which Amazon has cut its affiliates seem embittered beyond the point of negotiation, so this situation will likely remain unless national legislation forces Amazon to collect sales tax in all states. C. Texas, South Carolina, California and Tennessee In Texas, Amazon finally cut a deal in June 2011 after a long fight, in which the state s tax collector sent Amazon a $269 million tax bill, saying its distribution center in Irving establishes a legal footprint that requires it to collect sales taxes from Texas customers. 84 As in many other states, Amazon retaliated against what it viewed as a hostile law: Amazon had threatened to shut down its Irving, Texas, distribution center. Eventually it let go all 112 employees who worked there. Workers hired by a temporary employment firm are maintaining the facility. 85 Finally, Amazon and the state came to an agreement: Amazon offered Thursday to invest $ Id. 81 Kopytoff, supra note John Pletz, Illinois' Bid to Collect Sales Taxes on Internet Shopping Comes up Empty, CRAIN S CHI. BUS. (Sept. 12, 2011), article/ /issue01/ /illinois-bid-to-collect-sales-taxes-oninternet-shopping-comes-up-empty#ixzz1jxjl7as2. 83 Open Letter to Amazon Affiliates, BARNES & NOBLE (Feb. 14, 2011), 84 Ramsey, supra note Maria Halkias, Amazon Offers Texas 5,000 Jobs in Trade for Sales-Tax Exemption, SEATTLE TIMES (June 21, 2011), html/businesstechnology/ _amazontexas22.html.

15 2012 How Battles over Collection of Sales Taxes 239 on Online Sales Will Affect Small Businesses Especially Affiliates of Large Sellers Like Amazon.com million in five or six warehouse and distribution centers in the state, employing 6,000 people, if lawmakers would let the company operate for four-and-a-half years without collecting sales taxes. 86 Interestingly, Amazon also wants the state to set up a website where its customers can send sales tax owed on Amazon purchases to the state. 87 This is an appealing compromise provision, since if Texas residents began voluntarily reporting and paying sales tax on online purchases there would be no need for Amazon to collect the tax itself. The South Carolina legislature compromised with Amazon against the wishes of the Governor, Nikki Haley. 88 Amazon got a five year exemption from sales tax collection in return for a promise of jobs and a $125 million investment in the state. 89 Amazon also agreed to include a clause in each purchase confirmation telling customers they could owe the sales tax to the state. The must include a link to the state Revenue Department. 90 This could be a purely symbolic measure, as few customers in other states who buy online actually pay sales tax on their purchases voluntarily. 91 Amazon also must send customers, either by mail or , a yearly tally of what they've spent, and specify they may owe the sales tax on their income tax returns. 92 However, the state will not receive that information about online purchases, so buyers would still be able to choose not to pay the sales taxes on their online purchases with little chance of consequences from the state s department of revenue. Like other states, California is facing severe budget issues. Meanwhile, only 1% of consumers pay use tax by voluntarily reporting online purchases on tax forms, and $1.1 billion goes uncollected, according to the state's legislative analyst. 93 This uncollected money is very appealing to state legislators. In June, California passed a bill to require sales tax collection by [a]ny retailer entering into an agreement or agreements under which a person or persons in this state, for a commission or other consideration, directly or indirectly refer potential purchasers of tangible personal property to the retailer, whether by an Internetbased link or an Internet Web site, or otherwise if that retailer 86 Ramsey, supra note Halkias, supra note Seanna Adcox, S.C. Legislators Give Final OK to Amazon Sales-Tax Deal, SEATTLE TIMES (June 1, 2011), businesstechnology/ _scsalestax02.html. 89 Id. 90 Id. 91 Tuttle, supra note Adcox, supra note Bustillo & Woo, supra note 39.

16 240 OHIO STATE ENTREPRENEURIAL Vol. 7:1 BUSINESS LAW JOURNAL makes more than $10,000 on referred sales or more than $500,000 of sales in the past 12 months in the state. 94 Amazon dropped its California affiliates by August 2, On September 9th, the California legislature printed a statement of legislative intent to clarify Assembly Bill X The statement made it clear that online advertising, including those ads tied to Internet search engines, banner ads, click-through ads, Cost Per Action ads, links to retailer websites and similar online advertising services should not be considered a referral under subparagraph 5(A). 97 The legislature explains: Those types of advertising services are generated as a result of generic algorithmic functions and are anonymous and passive in nature and thus do not rise to the level of referring or soliciting business. 98 This effectively allowed Amazon Associates to continue operating in the state without collecting sales tax. On September 23, 2011, Amazon Associates were allowed to do business in California again. 99 However, this is just a compromising measure letting Amazon operate without charging sales tax for a year. According to the agreement, Amazon agreed to start collecting the tax in September 2012 unless there was federal legislation on the issue. 100 In fact, Amazon advocates a national sales tax for online retailers, which it argues would simplify tax collection. 101 However, the author of a New York Times article on the compromise points out that Amazon might be trying to buy some time. If it moves several small subsidiaries out of the state, it could 94 ASSEMB. B. 128, Sess. (Ca. 2011), available at 95 Recent Updates to the Associates Operating Agreement, AMAZON.COM, https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/help/operating/compare?ie=utf8&pf_rd_t=501&ref_=amb_link_ _1&pf_rd_m=atvpdkikx 0DER&pf_rd_p=&pf_rd_s=assoc-center-1&pf_rd_r=&pf_rd_i=assoc_operating (last visited Mar. 27, 2012); see generally Operating Agreement, supra note ASSEMB. DAILY J. CA. LEG., 2011 Leg., st Extraordinary Sess., at 338 (Ca. 2011), available at _1x.pdf. This statement of legislative intent clarifies Assembly Bill 128, which amended the tax code to require sales tax collection from retailers engaged in business in the state. ASSEM. 28, 2011 LEG., 2011 SESS. (Ca. 2011), available at _chaptered.pdf. 97 Id. 98 Id. 99 Recent Updates to the Associates Operating Agreement, AMAZON.COM, https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/help/operating/compare?ie=utf8&pf_rd_t=501&ref_=amb_link_ _1&pf_rd_m=atvpdkikx 0DER&pf_rd_p=&pf_rd_s=assoc-center-1&pf_rd_r=&pf_rd_i=assoc_operating (last visited Oct. 11, 2011). 100 Streitfeld, supra note Woo, supra note 1.

17 2012 How Battles over Collection of Sales Taxes 241 on Online Sales Will Affect Small Businesses Especially Affiliates of Large Sellers Like Amazon.com argue that it no longer has the physical presence in California that requires it to collect the tax. 102 In Tennessee, Amazon had originally built distribution centers in the state on the understanding that the government would not pass laws requiring it to collect sales tax. 103 When the legislature wanted to pass such a law, the new governor said it would be disingenuous to renege on the deal. 104 The Governor and Amazon finally agreed on October 6 that Amazon would begin collecting sales tax in 2014, and in return for the few years reprieve, would build new distribution centers in Tennessee, creating 2,000 more jobs for Tennesseans, and investing $350 million in the state. 105 In Indiana, Amazon s 2007 deal with the state government was that Amazon could build warehouses in the state in exchange for no state legislation on sales taxes. 106 The deal was reevaluated after Simon Properties Group, a company that owns shopping malls in Indiana, sued the state over its treatment of Amazon. 107 Amazon and the state finally came to a deal where Amazon would begin collecting sales tax in 2014, if there were no federal legislation passed before then. 108 Amazon officials expect federal legislation to pass in the next year or two. 109 Indiana and Amazon officials said the 2014 start of online sales tax collections was meant to give time for Congress to act on the federal proposal. We want to get it done this year, we re hopeful, Misener [Amazon s vice president for global public policy] said. But we may need 2013 to accomplish it. 110 It is clear that Amazon is only willing to make these deals as a temporary measure. It will pacify states by promising to begin sales tax collection at a later date. In the meantime, Amazon has time to perfect its sales tax collection mechanisms, and its stocks will remain high as sales rise. Meanwhile, Amazon is putting its support behind legislation that will force all online retailers to collect sales tax. 111 As other retailers have been able to lobby for state laws forcing Amazon to collect sales tax, it is certain that if Amazon is forced to collect sales tax, it will put its power behind making sure that its competitors are held to the same standard. 102 Streitfeld, supra note Schelzig, supra note Id. 105 Id. 106 Davies, supra note Id. 108 Id. 109 Id. 110 Id. 111 Woo, supra note 1.

18 242 OHIO STATE ENTREPRENEURIAL Vol. 7:1 BUSINESS LAW JOURNAL IV. SOLUTIONS There are several possible resolutions to this conflict over collection of sales taxes on online purchases. Probably the two most likely scenarios are that after a long battle the states win one by one and Amazon ends up collecting sales tax in all states, or a national law is passed which requires all online retailers to collect sales tax. It is also possible, though unlikely, that the states will simply give up on trying to force Amazon to collect sales tax, that states residents will begin reporting and paying sales tax on their online purchases voluntarily, or that a judicial decision will hold all such laws unconstitutional. Small businesses could benefit in several of these scenarios. First, if the states stop battling Amazon over sales taxes, Amazon will continue its affiliate program, which helps small businesses continue to earn money as Amazon affiliates. Second, a national law requiring sales tax collection by online retailers could also be good for small businesses, but only if the process is made simple and cheap, so that small businesses can afford to comply with the complicated sales tax calculations, or small businesses are exempt from sales tax collection. Third, if the states win, and Amazon is eventually forced to comply with state laws requiring sales tax collection, small businesses may be exempt from these laws, which usually only compel sales tax collection from companies that make a certain amount of money per year from sales arranged by affiliates in that state. Small businesses without affiliate programs, or with very small ones, would not have to collect sales taxes under these laws, which would allow small businesses to sell goods without sales tax. This could allow small businesses to have more competitive pricing with larger businesses, which benefit from economies of scale, but which would be forced to collect sales tax. The biggest danger to small businesses is that as the battle drags on between the states and Amazon, small businesses are collateral damage. While small businesses have some influence, this battle is really being fought between Amazon and other large retailers. Neither of these have small business interests at heart. A. The States Accept Defeat Probably the ideal situation for the entrepreneurs that make up the Amazon Associates program would be for the states to cease their efforts to force Amazon to collect sales taxes. Amazon has been merciless in cutting off its Associates programs in any state that attempts to force Amazon to collect sales taxes. Comments by Jeff Bezos suggest this is not likely to change: We will continue to drop states who pass those affiliate laws, from

19 2012 How Battles over Collection of Sales Taxes 243 on Online Sales Will Affect Small Businesses Especially Affiliates of Large Sellers Like Amazon.com the affiliate program. 112 When the Associates programs are cut, these Associates must choose between a substantial loss of income or relocation to another state. Either of these options will cost the state in income taxes. However, because the states are in such dire need of money, and especially because the weight of other big stores is behind recent pushes to force collection of sales taxes, 113 it is likely that this issue will not simply disappear. The states are probably also aware that there is power in numbers. For now, Amazon can continue to drop affiliates in any state which passes such a law, but after some tipping point is reached, Amazon will have to decide between collecting sales taxes in most states, and getting rid of the majority of its affiliates. Amazon seems to understand that it does not have all the power in these negotiations, as it has recently negotiated deals with California and Texas in which it promises to begin collecting sales taxes after a specified amount of time. 114 While the battles are hurting entrepreneurs who work as Amazon Associates, small businesses that sell online benefit from the continued uncertainty. Until one side or the other gains a definitive victory, the small businesses that sell online are free to quietly continue selling without collecting sales taxes. As long as Amazon does not have to collect sales tax, neither do small businesses, and small businesses are likely to only have a physical presence in one or two states. This means that online sales by these businesses do not have to collect sales tax in the other forty-eight or fortynine states. B. Amazon Makes Deals with the States Unless a national statute or Supreme Court ruling intervenes, it is likely that many more states will pass laws in an attempt to force online retailers to collect sales taxes. If these efforts continue, eventually Amazon will simply have to choose between the revenue it would lose by dropping all its affiliates and the revenue it would lose by collecting sales tax. Amazon has already shown its willingness to work with some states, cutting deals in California, Texas, Tennessee, and Indiana to begin collecting sales taxes after a specified amount of time. 115 This would not necessarily mean that online entrepreneurs would have to collect sales tax. The new laws requiring sales tax collection in many states do not include small businesses. The New York law, for example, 112 Dhanya Skariachan, Amazon Could Cut Ties in More States Over Tax Dispute, REUTERS (May 11, 2011), 113 Bustillo & Woo, supra note Streitfeld, supra note 46; Ramsey, supra note Streitfeld, supra note 46; Ramsey, supra note 47.

20 244 OHIO STATE ENTREPRENEURIAL Vol. 7:1 BUSINESS LAW JOURNAL only includes businesses that earn more than $10,000 a year through their affiliate programs. 116 These laws are mostly targeted directly at Amazon, and would not affect small businesses directly. C. A National Law Settles the Issue In Quill, the Court suggested that Congress is now free to decide whether, when, and to what extent the States may burden interstate mailorder concerns with a duty to collect use taxes. 117 A national law requiring sales tax collection by online retailers might be a compromise solution between online retailers and states. Amazon has even stated that it is in favor of such a proposal, 118 possibly because if sufficient-nexus laws pass in enough states, they could force collection of sales taxes by Amazon and other companies with strong affiliate programs while Amazon s competitors, who have much smaller affiliate programs, will still be free to sell without collecting sales taxes. Amazon has gone so far as to send a letter of support to Senator Durbin, thanking him for his proposal of a bill that would allow states that sufficiently simplify their rules to require collection of sales tax by out-of-state sellers, 119 but it is unlikely that the bill, popularly named the Main Street Fairness Act, 120 will find the support necessary to become law. A national law could force all online retailers to collect sales taxes, regardless of the amount or location of their affiliates. This would be good news for the entrepreneurial affiliates, who would continue to get their revenue from referrals, without danger of being shut down as collateral damage in the battles between Amazon and the states. However, there is a danger for small businesses. Sales tax collection is difficult, and some large retailers have had to pay penalties for mistakes in sales tax collection. 121 Unless the law simplifies online sales tax collection at the same time that it makes it mandatory, it will be costly for companies to comply with the laws. The Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement provides a mechanism for simplifying these laws, which would allow small businesses to collect sales tax without fear of penalty and unnecessary expense. 116 McKinney s New York Tax Law 1101(b)(8)(vi) (2008). 117 Quill Corp. v. N. D. By & Through Heitkamp, 504 U.S. 298, 318 (1992). 118 Woo, supra note Letter from Paul Misener, V.P. for Global Pub.Policy, Amazon.com to Dick Durbin, U.S. Sen. (July 29, 2011), available at index.cfm/files/serve?file_id=a92e4a69-dba4-4aba-97a7-1a8c413ab206 [hereinafter Misener Letter]. 120 Press Release, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, Durbin, Conyers, Welch and Others Introduce Bill to Level the Playing Field for Main Street Retailers (July 29, 2011), available at 121 J.C.Penney, for example, has paid these penalties, which suggests that even large retailers with correspondingly large legal departments are not exempt from mistakes. Matthews, supra note 34.

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